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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Curbing Environmental Degradation To Balance Sustainable Development: Evidence From China, Muneza Kagzi, Vishal Dagar, Nadia Doytch, Deepika Krishnan, Manisha Raj Dec 2024

Curbing Environmental Degradation To Balance Sustainable Development: Evidence From China, Muneza Kagzi, Vishal Dagar, Nadia Doytch, Deepika Krishnan, Manisha Raj

Ateneo School of Government Publications

To achieve the goals of sustainable development, it is crucial to check the balance of increased level of international trade along with financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy consumption, and institutional advancement with the quality of the environment. This study focuses on how these variables have caused environmental degradation in China. To achieve Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e. to increase the nation's resilience to natural disasters and hazards related to climate change, to promote climate action and safeguard life as part of sustainable development, this involves the analysis of time-series data sets from 1975 to …


Sustainable Energysense: A Predictive Machine Learning Framework For Optimizing Residential Electricity Consumption, Murad Al-Rajab, Samia Loucif Dec 2024

Sustainable Energysense: A Predictive Machine Learning Framework For Optimizing Residential Electricity Consumption, Murad Al-Rajab, Samia Loucif

All Works

In a world where electricity is often taken for granted, the surge in consumption poses significant challenges, including elevated CO2 emissions and rising prices. These issues not only impact consumers but also have broader implications for the global environment. This paper endeavors to propose a smart application dedicated to optimizing the electricity consumption of household appliances. It employs Augmented Reality (AR) technology along with YOLO to detect electrical appliances and provide detailed electricity consumption insights, such as displaying the appliance consumption rate and computing the total electricity consumption based on the number of hours the appliance was used. The application …


Modification Of The Botanical Composition Of Perennial And Annual Temperate Pastures By Strategic Grazing Practices, D R. Kemp, P M. Dowling Sep 2024

Modification Of The Botanical Composition Of Perennial And Annual Temperate Pastures By Strategic Grazing Practices, D R. Kemp, P M. Dowling

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Where livestock production depends upon pastures, management is more difficult in environments where rainfall varies considerably from season to season and year to year. Flexible grazing practices are needed to optimise species composition and pasture productivity. Results presented in this paper show that pasture composition can be improved within climatic constraints, by grazing practices within seasons, In temperate annual pastures, long rests in winter (similar to a long rotation during that season) increased annual legume content in early spring from 20 to 50%. Annual grass content was unchanged. In perennial (phalaris) pastures, the dominant legume can change over years from …


Soil Characteristics And Processes Critical To The Sustainable Use Of Grasslands In Arid, Semi-Arid, And Seasonally Dry Environments, John Williams, Keith R. Helyar, Richard S.B Greene, Rosemary A. Hook Sep 2024

Soil Characteristics And Processes Critical To The Sustainable Use Of Grasslands In Arid, Semi-Arid, And Seasonally Dry Environments, John Williams, Keith R. Helyar, Richard S.B Greene, Rosemary A. Hook

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The focus of this paper is a framework for determining the soil and land properties and processes which are critical to managing grasslands in an ecologically sustainable manner. Essential to the discussion is the development of concepts which allow description of the stability, resilience and sustainability of the agroecosystem as a whole as well as the land resource base. The regions of Australia with arid, semi-arid and seasonally dry environments are defined and related to the dry environments of the world. This provides a background for a brief consideration of major vegetation types and soils within the dry environments of …


Range Management: Optimizing Forage Production And Qualityy, J E. Danckwerts, N M. Tainton Sep 2024

Range Management: Optimizing Forage Production And Qualityy, J E. Danckwerts, N M. Tainton

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Range management involves optimising forage production and quality, both in the short term and in the long term. In the short term, temporal climatic variability, stocking rate, grazing system, fire, animal type. and spatial variability, inter alia, strongly, influence forage production and quality. On the other hand, long-term optimisation requires prevention of range deterioration. The nature of this process seems to be profoundly different between humid and arid rangelands, at least in tropical and subtropical zones. In the former, changes are relatively predictable, overgrazing resulting in gradual deterioration. In the latter, change is event driven, providing the grazier with …


The Future Of Sustainable Agriculture In The United States, Dennis R. Keeney Sep 2024

The Future Of Sustainable Agriculture In The United States, Dennis R. Keeney

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the United States, sustainable agriculture remains complicated and controversial as a concept, particularly to define and apply in terms of practices and policies to achieve sustainability. Many consider current agricultural practices to be sustainable in the near term with regard to the dependable, affordable supply of food and fibre, but unsustainable in terms of environmental quality and social costs. Production agriculture hos been linked to soil erosion and water pollution, and the emphasis on efficiency has contributed to the loss of many farmers and increasing instability in rural communities. Many of agriculture's dilemmas can be linked to policies of …


Sustainable Direction For Resource Management An Assessment Of The Regional Council Role, Allan Lohrey Sep 2024

Sustainable Direction For Resource Management An Assessment Of The Regional Council Role, Allan Lohrey

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The 1980s has seen an increased world awareness of the concept of sustainability. In 1991 New Zealand enacted the Resource Management Act (RMA) which reflected society's concern for a need to consider future generations when making decisions relating to the use of natural resources. Regional councils have been allocated the role within the Act to promote sustainable management at the regional level. The short term challenge to regional councils is to manage resources in manner which strikes a pragmatic balance between the ongoing needs of society and the need to provide resources for future generations. Regional councils will know they …


A Marine Knowledge System For Ocean Affairs: Integrating Data, Evaluating Usage, And Enabling Sustainable Marine Management, Yu-Jen Pan Sep 2024

A Marine Knowledge System For Ocean Affairs: Integrating Data, Evaluating Usage, And Enabling Sustainable Marine Management, Yu-Jen Pan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

This study presents the evolution and assessment of the Marine Knowledge Education System (MKES), designed to improve user acceptance among students in professional marine science courses in Taiwan. The MKES leverages real-world maritime cases from the General Coast Guard Administration and is built upon existing technologies like cloud services, social networks, and data analysis tools. The technology acceptance model (TAM) provides the theoretical underpinning for the assessment of user confidence. Data was collected from 190 participants through purposive sampling. Path analysis confirmed all hypothesized relationships within the TAM with statistical significance (p < 0.001). Additionally, paired-sample t-tests revealed a significant increase in student acceptance of the MKES after integrating it into the marine science curriculum. These findings underscore the capacity of the MKES as a digital learning tool to enrich course pedagogy and improve student learning outcomes, thereby offering valuable support in advancing the education of professional marine managers.


Decision Support System In The Transfer Of Grassland Technology, J W. Stuth, W T. Hamilton, J C. Conner, D P. Sheehy Aug 2024

Decision Support System In The Transfer Of Grassland Technology, J W. Stuth, W T. Hamilton, J C. Conner, D P. Sheehy

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A world-wide demand for sustainable development of our grazinglands has placed an unprecedented urgency to determine mechanisms to develop and transfer technology that meets the needs of individual landholders and overarching values of society. Unfortunately, advances in science and technology have outstripped our ability lo organise information into a usable form using traditional institutions. The emergence of computer technology with high power/ cost ratios has accelerated interest in computerised decision support systems (DSS) over the past 10 years. These systems assist resource managers in dealing with complex planning problems by allowing exploration of alternatives and selection of appropriate technology. If …


Pasture Plant Identification In The Western Queensland Arid Zone, J A. Milson, I F. Beale, J A. Reynolds, J J. Bushwell, D Phelps Aug 2024

Pasture Plant Identification In The Western Queensland Arid Zone, J A. Milson, I F. Beale, J A. Reynolds, J J. Bushwell, D Phelps

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Since plant species composition is an important indicator of the health or condition of pastures and therefore the land, a first step for graziers interested in conserving the total range resource is to understand vegetation species and thus be able to identify them and to recognise species changes. This project is aimed at producing and distributing colour leaflets of the major native and problem plant species (including woody weeds) in the four major community types in western Queensland. The number of colour leaflels for the series totals 60. The number of species represented is about 230. These leaflets are dislributed …


Sustainable Transportation: Transforming Utah Through Community Action, Isabella Erwin, Kendall Becker, Patrick A. Singleton, Scott Hotaling Aug 2024

Sustainable Transportation: Transforming Utah Through Community Action, Isabella Erwin, Kendall Becker, Patrick A. Singleton, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Transportation in the United States accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Over half of these emissions come from on-road vehicles. Nationwide, Utah has the third highest rate of car ownership, and the resulting air pollution from on-road vehicles has significant implications for the climate and public health. This fact sheet provides information on how Utah’s government and other entities are working to expand modes of transport that minimize harm to communities and the environment.


Native Grasses: Their Distribution And Management In South-Eastern Australia, P M. Dowling, D L. Garden, P C. Simpson, D Eddy, D R. Kemp Aug 2024

Native Grasses: Their Distribution And Management In South-Eastern Australia, P M. Dowling, D L. Garden, P C. Simpson, D Eddy, D R. Kemp

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The economic survival of landholders depends on improving net returns. On the Tablelands of New South Wales, where substantial tracts of the original native perennial grasses still remain, an opportunity to do this exists by making belier use of these pastures. Over 150 years of grazing by sheep and cattle is considered to have resulted in the evolution of more grazing tolerant and nutrient­responsive grasses. This paper reports on the approach taken in developing a native grass strategy for tableland country, A survey sought to delineate the distribution of the native grass species under grazed conditions, while the feasibility of …


Sustainability Of African Farming Systems With Particular Reference To Soil Fertility, Multiple Cropping Systems And Weed Ingress In Smallholder Systems In Humid Tropical Africa, Bede N. Okigbo, Elly N. Sabiti Aug 2024

Sustainability Of African Farming Systems With Particular Reference To Soil Fertility, Multiple Cropping Systems And Weed Ingress In Smallholder Systems In Humid Tropical Africa, Bede N. Okigbo, Elly N. Sabiti

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Africa continues to face a food and agricultural crisis, the effects of which are sometimes exacerbated by drought and civil strife. The food crisis is the result of the inability of African countries in the humid tropical areas and other zones to produce enough food to satisfy escalating demand, owing largely to rapid population growth and pressures of modernisation. Furthermore, the inability of these countries to earn adequate incomes and the lack of food security, especially in some countries suffering from drought, civil strife or war, has resulted in increasing reliance on food aid to fulfil their food import requirements. …


Sustainability Of A Rocky Grassland Association Over Four Decades, K Torok, G Kosa Aug 2024

Sustainability Of A Rocky Grassland Association Over Four Decades, K Torok, G Kosa

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The monitoring of vegetation changes Is essential for predicting the direction of future changes. Historic Braun-Blanquet type relev6s of a grassland association were resampled after 4 decades. Ordination techniques were applied to the joint data set. Important displacement of the relev6s was observed in the ordination space, though there is no complete separation of the historic and recent relev6s. No consistent change in species number, no decrease in diversity was experienced, The displacement of relev6s was the consequence of shif'l in the spectrum of life strategies of species: invasion of annuals, The cause of this shif'l may be the increased …


Changes In Productivity Associated With Replacement Of Heteropogon Cotortus By Aristida Species And Chrysopogon Fallax In The Savannas Of South East Queensland, F P. Wandera, P C. Kerridge, J A. Taylor, H M. Shelton Aug 2024

Changes In Productivity Associated With Replacement Of Heteropogon Cotortus By Aristida Species And Chrysopogon Fallax In The Savannas Of South East Queensland, F P. Wandera, P C. Kerridge, J A. Taylor, H M. Shelton

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Heteropogon contortus-dominated rangelands, which cover 22 million ha, are the most important areas for beef production in northern Australia. Due to overgrazing, this dominant species ,is disappearing and is being replaced by unpalatable species such as Aristida and Chrysopogon in a patchy mosaic pattern. In a large graiing experiment· adjacent to the CSIRO Narayen research station: in south-east Queensland on granite country, patches dominated bf the unpalatable grasses comprised 24-32% of the area. Aristida-dominant and Chrysopogon-dominant patches had lower productivity (1000 and 650 kg/ha, respectively) than areas dominated by Heteropogon contorus (1850 kg/ha). It was estimated that a rangeland …


Mapping Urban Tree Canopy Using Publicly Available Satellite Data, Rosemary Mcguinness Aug 2024

Mapping Urban Tree Canopy Using Publicly Available Satellite Data, Rosemary Mcguinness

Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the need for accessible, cost-effective tools for quantifying spatial and temporal changes in tree canopy cover in urban areas. Urban tree canopy provides a wide range of ecosystem services, including lowering air temperatures, reducing pollution, and mitigating stormwater runoff. Cities around the world have placed the expansion of their urban forests at the center of their sustainability goals. Consistent and timely data on urban tree canopy is essential for urban greening initiatives to succeed. Existing methods of accessing information about urban tree canopy are highly technical, costly, and labor-intensive, while the freely available source of tree canopy …


Spontaneous Plant Colonization Of Newly Established Green Roofs: An Experimental Approach, Braden Matthew Coats Aug 2024

Spontaneous Plant Colonization Of Newly Established Green Roofs: An Experimental Approach, Braden Matthew Coats

Masters Theses

Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) increases heat risks in densely developed environments. Ecosystem services provided by green spaces are known to mitigate UHI. Green roofs, designed as novel ecosystems, transform less-utilized spaces like rooftops into functional areas, executing ecosystem functions in densely populated urban environments where traditional green spaces are less common. Research has examined ways to reduce the obstacles of implementing green roofs to maximize accessibility and efficiency of the performed ecosystem services. Research involving plant community dynamics found that maximizing biodiversity on green roofs enhances the ecosystem services provided. Utilizing spontaneous colonizing species, or species that are not …


Light Structure Building Technology Towards Sustainable Environmental Design, Sally El-Sayed Prof. Dr. Mai Wahba Madkour2, Prof. Dr. Marwa Ahmed Kamer El-Dawla3 Jul 2024

Light Structure Building Technology Towards Sustainable Environmental Design, Sally El-Sayed Prof. Dr. Mai Wahba Madkour2, Prof. Dr. Marwa Ahmed Kamer El-Dawla3

Journal of Engineering Research

The building and construction industry is one of the most important sectors globally , as it plays a vital role in providing housing and infrastructure that meets the needs of various communities , However , this industry is considered one of the largest contributors of negative environmental impacts in terms of consuming huge amounts of natural resources in an unsustainable manner and a subsequent increase in energy consumption .Therefore, it was necessary to find solutions and explore for new and sustainable construction methods to alleviate these problems .This research paper will focus on the use of light buildings and their …


Using Recycled Materials Towards Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Building In Hot Regions – A Review, Mai W. Madkour Hosny A. Dewer, And Shaimaa M. Refaat Jul 2024

Using Recycled Materials Towards Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Building In Hot Regions – A Review, Mai W. Madkour Hosny A. Dewer, And Shaimaa M. Refaat

Journal of Engineering Research

Due to population growth and increased urban activity, there is a rise in waste production, which poses health and environmental risks. Additionally, the extraction and transportation of natural resources to places of employment require significant energy consumption, and the world has therefore moved to seek new alternatives away from traditional construction methods by recycling building materials such as concrete, brick, glass, wood, etc., or using new building materials such as rice straw, plastics, corks, etc., taking into account architectural design. The research is aimed at demonstrating that recycled materials have the potential to perform a better environmental performance by preserving …


Enhancing Water Sustainability In North Africa: Literature Review And Synthesis Of Current Knowledge Gaps In Sudan, Osman M. A. Adam, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Derek M. Heeren, Troy E. Gilmore Jul 2024

Enhancing Water Sustainability In North Africa: Literature Review And Synthesis Of Current Knowledge Gaps In Sudan, Osman M. A. Adam, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Derek M. Heeren, Troy E. Gilmore

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

This study delves into the critical role of groundwater in addressing global water challenges, with a focus on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in North Africa. Groundwater constitutes a source of potable water, irrigation, and industrial use, especially in arid regions where surface water is limited. We analyzed the status of water quantity, withdrawals, recharge, and geological characteristics in the NSAS, specifically in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and Chad. Though the NSAS is largely an untapped resource, we evaluated various scenarios to determine the quantity of cropland that can be sustainably irrigated. The NSAS is located in an arid region, …


Objective Indicators For Monitoring Drought In Grasslands, D H. White, S M. Howden Jun 2024

Objective Indicators For Monitoring Drought In Grasslands, D H. White, S M. Howden

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Australia’s National Drought Policy was ratified by the Commonwealth (Federal), State and Territory governments in 1992. However, a sequence of El Niño-based events that started in Queensland in 1991 culminated in much of Australia experiencing abnormally low rainfall throughout 1994 and into 1995. Many farmers experienced substantial loss of income. The Commonwealth government therefore devised measures to determine which areas had been exposed to exceptional drought so that financial assistance could be directed as effectively as possible. In this paper we discuss progress in developing regionally-sensitive indicators and methodologies to aid in future assessments of drought exceptional circumstances.


Production V Conservation: A Policy Dilemma In The Tree Clearing Debate In Queensland, Australia, J C. Scanlan, E J. Turner Jun 2024

Production V Conservation: A Policy Dilemma In The Tree Clearing Debate In Queensland, Australia, J C. Scanlan, E J. Turner

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A process for developing policy for tree clearing that meets the competing goals of conservation and production has been followed. There were two levels at which policy was developed. An overall Statewide policy outlined general targets to meet commitments of the Queensland Government. Local guidelines were developed by a large number of groups containing representatives of government and interested conservation movement and industry representatives. The policy and the local guidelines are an important part of the process used to assess applications for permits to clear woody vegetation.


Sustainable Grazing Systems- A Program To Develop And Deliver Improved Temperate Pastures In Australia, W K. Mason, G Kay, G Lodge Jun 2024

Sustainable Grazing Systems- A Program To Develop And Deliver Improved Temperate Pastures In Australia, W K. Mason, G Kay, G Lodge

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Sustainable Grazing Systems Program aims to combine the efforts of producers, researchers and extension agents into a focused partnership to develop, manage and implement grazing systems that are more profitable and more sustainable. Rather than the traditional approach of undertaking the research and then developing extension packages for livestock producers, this Program has set up a network with producers, researchers and extension agents to collectively develop and test improved systems. The process is described as colearning. Compared with more traditional approaches, producer input is greatly increased as the role of researchers and extension agents is modified, but not decreased. …


Legume-Legume Complementary For Sustainable Pasture Development In The Tropics, M Peters, S A. Tarawali, R Schultze-Kraft, A Musa Jun 2024

Legume-Legume Complementary For Sustainable Pasture Development In The Tropics, M Peters, S A. Tarawali, R Schultze-Kraft, A Musa

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The use of legume-legume mixtures to alleviate limitations of individual species in legume based technologies was investigated in subhumid Nigeria. The results indicate the potential of legume mixtures, through processes of complementation and compensation, to reduce the risk of legume establishment and survival and thus ensure sustainable legume yields and percentages. The implications for on-farm adoption of forage legumes are discussed.


Principles Of Tree Management In The Grazing Lands Of Queensland, Australia, J C. Scanlan, E J. Turner Jun 2024

Principles Of Tree Management In The Grazing Lands Of Queensland, Australia, J C. Scanlan, E J. Turner

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The key factors that influenced the appropriateness of clearing were identified for Queensland. The first stage was to identify endangered and vulnerable vegetation types, with final agreement being that clearing would not be undertaken in these regional ecosystem types. For other regional ecosystems, the degree of clearing that was appropriate was determined from the original and current extent of that ecosystem type, the sustainability of any development and any off-site effects of clearing. The maximum slope suitable for clearing, the width of riparian buffers and other corridors were also determined. These local guidelines for tree clearing became a central part …


Long Term Benefits Of Diversified Forage-Oriented Cropping Systems As Compared To Rotations Based Mainly On Cereals Or Maize, E Meister, V Mediavilla, P Weisskopf Jun 2024

Long Term Benefits Of Diversified Forage-Oriented Cropping Systems As Compared To Rotations Based Mainly On Cereals Or Maize, E Meister, V Mediavilla, P Weisskopf

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The aim of this study is to assess the long term effects of a forageoriented, versus a maize- and a cereal-oriented crop rotation on the yield potential and soil fertility, as well as the weed, disease and pest development. We report the results after four cropping cycles using silage maize (Zea mays L.) in 1994 and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 1995 as reference crops for all three rotations. Two years of a grass-clover mixture in a five-year rotation showed positive effects with respect to most soil and plant parameters.


Grassland Management For Geese: Sustainable Use For Conservation And Agriculture, S M. Percival, R Lilley Jun 2024

Grassland Management For Geese: Sustainable Use For Conservation And Agriculture, S M. Percival, R Lilley

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Increasing numbers of overwintering wild geese have caused considerable problems to agriculture but are often also of conservation concern as their populations are relatively small. Islay, Scotland, is one site where this problem is particularly acute. We studied the two goose species which use this site, the barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis, and the white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons flavirostris, and found that they preferred younger pastures located closer to their roost sites. These preferred areas could be important in developing a sustainable strategy for future goose management. Further non-sustainable population increases might be avoided by increasing disturbance in these areas.


Learning Dynamic Multimodal Network Slot Concepts From The Web For Forecasting Environmental, Social And Governance Ratings, Meng Kiat Gary Ang, Ee-Peng Lim Jun 2024

Learning Dynamic Multimodal Network Slot Concepts From The Web For Forecasting Environmental, Social And Governance Ratings, Meng Kiat Gary Ang, Ee-Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Dynamic multimodal networks are networks with node attributes from different modalities where the at- tributes and network relationships evolve across time, i.e., both networks and multimodal attributes are dynamic; for example, dynamic relationship networks between companies that evolve across time due to changes in business strategies and alliances, which are associated with dynamic company attributes from multiple modalities such as textual online news, categorical events, and numerical financial-related data. Such information can be useful in predictive tasks involving companies. Environmental, social, and gov- ernance (ESG) ratings of companies are important for assessing the sustainability risks of companies. The process of …


Plas 439: Organic Farming And Food Systems Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Christian Stephenson May 2024

Plas 439: Organic Farming And Food Systems Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Christian Stephenson

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Organic Farming and Food Systems is a senior and graduate level course for students in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. This course was previously offered but has been significantly modified as I have taken on responsibility for the course. Goals for the course include student comprehension of the methods of organic and regenerative farming and the impacts of those methods on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. An additional goal is to build student competency in the evaluation of primary, secondary, and tertiary information resources and critical thinking surrounding issues in food production. Assessment for the course was through diverse …


Pet And Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains In Michigan: Present And Future Systems Analysis Of Environmental And Socio-Economic Impacts, Utkarsh S. Chaudhari, Kamand Sedaghatnia, Barbara K. Reck, Kate Maguire, Anne T. Johnson, David Watkins, Robert M. Handler, Tasmin Hossain, Damon S. Hartley, Vicki S. Thompson, Alejandra Peralta, Jenny L. Apriesnig, David Shonnard May 2024

Pet And Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains In Michigan: Present And Future Systems Analysis Of Environmental And Socio-Economic Impacts, Utkarsh S. Chaudhari, Kamand Sedaghatnia, Barbara K. Reck, Kate Maguire, Anne T. Johnson, David Watkins, Robert M. Handler, Tasmin Hossain, Damon S. Hartley, Vicki S. Thompson, Alejandra Peralta, Jenny L. Apriesnig, David Shonnard

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Many actions are underway at global, national, and local levels to increase plastics circularity. However, studies evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of such a transition are lacking at regional levels in the United States. In this work, the existing polyethylene terephthalate and polyolefin plastics supply chains in Michigan were compared to a potential future (‘NextCycle’) scenario that looks at increasing Michigan’s overall recycling rate to 45%. Material flow analysis data was combined with environmental and socio-economic metrics to evaluate the sustainability of these supply chains for the modeled scenarios. Overall, the NextCycle scenario for these supply chains achieved a …